Written Answers Nos. 160-168
160. Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Minister for Health if he will review the decision not to grant a medical card in respect of a child (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3212/15]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has issued to Oireachtas members.
If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.
161. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health when admission for surgery or appropriate treatment to Tallaght hospital, Dublin 24, in respect of a defective hip replacement can be arranged in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3224/15]
View answerThe National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2014, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has been adopted by the Health Service Executive, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up with them.
162. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if and when consideration of renewal of medical card will be concluded in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; if a new application form is warranted to speed up the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3225/15]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has issued to Oireachtas members.
If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.
163. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if and when a full medical card will issue in the case of persons (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3228/15]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has issued to Oireachtas members.
If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.
164. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if and when a medical card will issue in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3234/15]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has issued to Oireachtas members.
If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.
165. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if he will provide the further information required to determine eligibility for a medical card in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3236/15]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has issued to Oireachtas members.
If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.
166. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the degree to which all outstanding matters arising from the Good Friday and subsequent agreements or discussions are satisfactorily addressed or accommodated arising from recent discussions in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3251/15]
View answerOutstanding commitments undertaken in the two foundational agreements of the peace process, the Good Friday and Saint Andrews Agreements, arose in the context of the recent Stormont House talks, which concluded successfully on 23 December. Throughout the talks, the Government maintained the view that the best way to strengthen peace and reconciliation across this island is to implement fully these Agreements which, together with the Stormont House Agreement, will remain at the core of the Government’s approach to Northern Ireland.
In the course of the talks, progress was made regarding the implementation of a number of commitments from previous Agreements. The Saint Andrews Agreement included a commitment to take forward a review of the North South Implementation Bodies and Areas for Co-operation. Progress secured in the Stormont House Agreement means that the North South Ministerial Council, meeting in Institutional format, will agree by end February 2015 a report on new sectoral priorities for North/South cooperation, identified during Ministerial discussions since November 2013. A report on new sectoral priorities will be a standing item for future meetings of the NSMC meeting in Institutional format.
In the context of the Good Friday Agreement commitment regarding a Northern Ireland Civic Forum, the Government advanced the position that greater civic engagement would stimulate informed public debate in Northern Ireland in relation to key societal challenges. I welcome that the Stormont House Agreement provides for the establishment of a civic advisory panel to meet regularly on key social, cultural and economic issues and to advise the Northern Ireland Executive.
As is the case with all participants in the talks, there were a number of additional issues which the Government would have wished to see progressed further but there was not sufficient consensus among the parties at this time.
Notwithstanding that it was included in a paper tabled by the Government at the outset of the talks, I was disappointed that a commitment to an Irish Language Act, either enacted in Westminster or the Northern Ireland Assembly, did not form part of the final Agreement. I welcome, however, the explicit endorsement in the Agreement by the British Government of the principle of respect for and recognition of the Irish language in Northern Ireland.
The Government will continue to advocate for an Irish Language Act and to encourage those Northern Ireland parties which currently support an Act to continue to build the necessary enabling consensus among their Executive colleagues.
Similarly, while the Government would have wished to see the establishment of a North South Consultative Forum and a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland, the necessary enabling consensus was not forthcoming during the Stormont talks.
The Government will avail of other opportunities to secure progress on these outstanding issues. We will also continue our broader efforts to ensure that the full potential of the Agreements is realised towards achieving effective partnership government, genuine reconciliation between divided communities and economic prosperity for all in Northern Ireland.
167. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on any contact his Department has had with the Embassy of Israel to Ireland regarding the case of a person (details supplied); if he will report on any contact the Embassy of Ireland to Israel and the representative office in Palestine have had with Israeli authorities on this case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3067/15]
View answerI am aware of the case of the person referred to, who was convicted of obstructing military operations in the West Bank, by blocking a military bulldozer engaged in construction. His is one of a series of cases of concern related to the protests around construction of the separation barrier on Palestinian land belonging to the villagers of Bil’in.
As is normal practice, EU Missions in the Palestinian Territory work as a group in relation to human rights issues, including individual cases. We carry more weight speaking as a unified group of 28 countries.
In this case, the EU group has followed the case closely, and EU missions have been present at most of the court hearings in this case. I am answering another question today (question 24, 3067/15) on the question of attendance at the next court hearing on 8 February.
Our concerns about this case were also raised with the Israeli authorities in the course of the EU-Israel political dialogue in Brussels in December.
168. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his Department has examined the report of the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on the CIA's detention and interrogation programmes; if in view of this he has re-evaluated his opinion on the assurances of the US Government that no prisoners were transported through Irish territory; and in view of this report his views that it is acceptable to allow the US military aircraft the use of Shannon Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3069/15]
View answerThe Programme for Government states that the Government will enforce the prohibition of the use of Irish airspace, airports and related facilities for purposes not in line with the dictates of international law. The Government has repeatedly stated that Ireland would not tolerate the use of our airspace or airports for any illegal purpose, including torture, rendition or the unauthorised detention of any individual. It has been made clear by the current and previous Governments that such activity would be considered completely unacceptable and illegal.
The Government has, over the years, responded to allegations linking rendition flights to Shannon Airport. Ireland sought, and received, categorical assurances from the US Government that no prisoner had been, or would be, transferred through Irish territory without the express permission of the Irish authorities, which it was made clear, would not be forthcoming. A number of complaints concerning alleged unlawful activity at Shannon Airport have been investigated by An Garda Síochána. However, no evidence of rendition was disclosed in any of the investigations.
The executive summary of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report, which was released on 9 December 2014, does not identify specific countries where interrogation or detention took place, or countries through which prisoners were transferred.
I can confirm that at my instruction, my officials are seeking further clarification in relation to this report from the US authorities.
